Combination hat and coat rack



Oct. 21, 1952 p, RlBLET 2,614,702

COMBINATION HAT AND COAT RACK Filed March 25, 1949 JoeZPlZz'bZ t y/M W Attorney Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,614,702 V COMBINATION HAT AND COAT RACK Joel R Riblet, Galion, Ohio Application March 25, 1949, Serial No. 83,407

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a novel construction of combination hat and coat rack and has for its primary object to provide such a structure of extremely simple construction which may be economically manufactured and sold and which may be readily assembled or disassembled and quickly and easily mounted on an upright supporting surface. 7 1 v lyloreparticularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination-hat and coat rack including an open work frame which is adapted to be supported in substantially a horizontal position on an upright supporting surface the top of which is adapted to provide a support for hats, packages or the like and which isprovided with a plurality of staggeredly :arranged depending coat or hanger supporting hooks.

A further and particular important object of the invention is to provide a novel means for quickly and easily mounting the hat and coat rack on an upright supporting surface and by means of which the structure may be readily retained in substantially a horizontal position and yieldably held in engagement with such upright surface to maintain the rack substantially rigidly disposed with respect thereto.

Another object of the invention is to'provide novel supporting bracket means for mounting the rack on an upright surface.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of demountable hook forming a part of the rack and which is rigidly supported by the rack frame when applied thereto. 1

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred em-' bodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1- is a top plan view showing the rack in an applied position; s

Figure 2 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, thereof;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the rack taken substantially along a plane as-indicated by the line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the rack frame.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel combination hat and coat rack in its entirety and which comprises the invention is designated generally 5 and includes an elongated frame, preferably formed of metal anddesignated generally 6. The frame 6 includes a relatively wide bar 1 of a relatively resilient metal which is adapted to be disposed with its plane in a vertical position when the frame 6 is disposed in a horizontal position and which bar 1 includes an elongated substantially straight intermediate portion 8 which is bowed outwardly slightly, and

ends of the end portions 9 and is secured at its ends thereto, in any suitable manner as by welding, as indicated at H. The bar or strip 10- is likewise formed of a relatively resilient material such as a resilient metal and is bowed throughout its length in a direction inwardly of the frame 6 or toward the intermediate or front bar portion 8; the bow of the bar 18 being indicated in Figure 4 by the dot and dash line l2 which constitutes a straight line between the ends of said bar [0. I

The rack frame 6 is provided with a cross brace 13 which extends between the inner sides of the front and rear bars 8 and I0, respectively, and which is secured at its ends thereto in any. suitable manner as by welding, as seen at M. The brace I3 comprises a bar the plane of which is disposed parallel to the plane of the rack 5. A pair of braces l5 and 16 extend longitudinally of the frame 6 and are disposed between the front frame portion 8 and rear frame portion Ill and substantially equally spaced from one another and from said portions and are secured at their ends to the inner sides of the end frame portions 9, as by welding, as seen at H. The longitudinal braces l5 and I6 comprise bars which are disposed with their planes in substantially vertical positions or at right angles to the plane of the brace l3 and extend across the upper side of said transverse brace l3 and have portions thereof resting thereon. The upper edges I of the braces l5 and I6 are disposed slightly below the level of the upper edges of the frame members I and Ill. The bars l5 and I6 constitute hook supporting members and are provided with staggeredly arranged openings [8 and [9, respectively, as best seen in Figure 4, the bar openings l8 and the bar [B with four openings I9. The cross brace i3 is preferably offset to one side of the intermediate portion of the rack 5 so that it will not be positioned beneath any one of the openings l8 and IQ, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent.

A plurality of corresponding hooks 20, preferably formed of a relatively light weight metal such as aluminum, are detachably supported by the bars l5 and l5 being preferably provided with threev it through engagement of fastenings 2| thereof with the openings I8 and IS. The hooks 20 depend from the bars l5 and upper free end portion 22 which is provided with a recessed side at its upper end forming an upwardly facing shoulder 23 for engagement with the bottom edge of either the bar [5 or IE when an opening 24 in its thickened portion 22, above said shoulder 23, is in registry with either an opening l8 or IS. The fastenings 21 which preferably each comprise a bolt and nut have the bolt shank thereof extending through the openinglli and either the opening H3 or l9 which registers therewith and so that when the nuts of the fastenings are applied the hooks 23 Will be demountably secured to the bars l5 and I6 and held in a depending perpendicular position with respect to the plane of the frame 6 and prevented from 'swinging'relativ'ely thereto by engagement of the shoulders 23 with the bottom edgesof the bars ['5 and [6.

The rack frame 8 is demountably supported on an upright surface, such as a wall 23 preferably by two corresponding mounting brackets, each designated generally '26, as best illustrated in Figure 3, and each of which includes an elon gated bar'having a thickened lower end 27. Each mounting bracket 26 is provided with a substantially flat side 23 which extends from the upper end thereof to its thickened portion 2'! and the thickened portion 21 thereof forms an upwardly facing shoulder 29 at the lower end of the surface 28. Each mounting bracket 2%; is provided with a fastening receiving opening 33 adjacent its upper end and a lower fastening receiving opening 3| formed in its thickened portion 21.

To mount the rack 5 on the wall or upright surface 25, the two'mounting brackets 26 are initially applied to the wall 25 in horizontally spaced re lationship by means of a single driven fastening 32 which is applied to each'bracket 26 through its lower opening 3| and driven into the wall 25. The fastenings 32 are preferably not fully tightened. The rack 5 is then applied by slipping portions of the rear bar Ill thereof downwardly between the wall 25 and the surfaces 28 of the brackets 28 and so that portions of the lower edge of said bar will reston the shoulders 29. The fastenings 32 are then tightened and fastenings 33 are then applied through the openings 30 and anchored in the wall 25 and above the upper edge of the bar i0, since the openings 30 are disposed above the upper level of the rack frame 6. When the fastenings 33 are tightened the inwardly bowed bar 25, which is normally bowed away from the wall is will be drawn into a substantially straight position or with its outer surface then positioned substantially along the broken line 12 so that the end portions of the bar in will resiliently bear against the wall 25 to retain the frame 6 resiliently in engagement with the wall 25 to eliminate any play which might otherwise exist and to maintain pressure on the fastenings 32 and 33 to prevent them from becoming loose.

It will be readily apparent that the hooks can be utilized for hanging coats, umbrellas or other articles or for supporting coat hangers on which coats are applied and as the hooks 28 which are supported by the bar is are staggered relatively to the hooks 21] supported by the bar it, a maximum number of coats or other articles may be suspended by the hooks 23 below the frame 6. The top of the frame 6 together with the upper edges of the bars [5 and 16 provide an open article supporting surface for hats, packages or other large articles. It will likewise be readily apparent that the rack 5 may be made in various sizes and provided with a greater or lesser number of hooks 20 than as illustrated and for large size racks, additional supporting brackets 26 may be provided.

'It will also be apparent that when the rack 5 is mounted, for example, on a plaster wall longer driven fastenings 32 and 33 could be utilized and the mounting brackets 26 adjustably positioned so that the fastenings 32 and 33 thereof may be anchored in the studding.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

-I claim as my invention:

vA garment supporting rack comprising an elongated fra'me including front and rear frame portions and complementary end portions, each of said end portions extending between and being connected to complementary ends of the front and rear frame portions, said frame having a transverse brace extending between said front and rear portions and connected thereto intermediate of the ends of the frame, longitudinally extending braces disposed in the frame and connected to said end portions, said rear frame por-' tion being adapted to assume a position in a plane substantially'parallel to the plane of an upright supporting surface on which the rack is mounted, and adapted to be detachably fastened to the upright supporting surface and having upwardly extending portions spaced outwardly from the supporting surface and engaging th inner side .of said rear frame portion at points spaced from the ends thereof for demountab'ly supporting the rack in a position substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface and with par-ts of the rear frame portion fitting snugly between said upwardly extending bracket portions and parts of the upright supporting surface, said front and rear frame portions being formed of a resilient material, said,

rear frame portion being normally bowed inwardly with respect to the frame and being substan-'.

tially straightened by engagement with the mounting brackets, when the rack is in an applied position, for'yieldably holding the endportions of the rear frame portion in yieldable en:- gagement with the supporting surface.

JOEL P. RIBLET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS separate mounting brackets. 

